Arranged Magic
by Petra Todd
Summary: To stop infighting between the Great Families, the Fire mage rulers arrange for their eccentric son to marry the oldest daughter of the Earth clan. Sherlock has no intention of playing husband to the healer, but dangerous times bring him closer to Molly, and they find that this magical marriage might just be the real thing- if they survive. Magical AU.


_This story was born as part of a NSFW photoset I made a year and a half ago, with more or less the same summary presented for this story. I've always wanted to expand it and so having finished school recently, I finally had the time. So here's the first chapter. The **Mature** rating is for future chapters, which will contain smut._

_Thanks to Lexie and SoYeahSo for their feedback and friendship as always!_

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><p>Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective, Fire mage, and youngest son of the ruling clan of the Southern coven had been presented with a multitude of puzzlements in his esoteric studies but few as frustrating as the one before him presently.<p>

He furiously paced in front of the Great Hearth, addressing the man seated in the bronze-adorned chair by the fire.

"Explain again, Mycroft. Slower. Because clearly I've gone stupid and misunderstood. Because you would _never_ embrace such a foolish plan of action, would you. Broker peace based on a flimsy promise, using my life as a bargaining chip?!" He unbuttoned his flame-colored overcoat and tossed it aside without looking, leaving him to prowl around the room in his shirt, waistcoat and breeches.

His elder brother gave the red garment a baleful stare as it landed half in his lap.

"It's a fairly simple concept, Sherlock. You knew it would happen sooner or later." The Holmes heir examined his fingernails, his voice as disinterested as his posture when he responded. "The enmity between the Great Families has gone on for too long. Earth against Fire, Fire at war with Water, and for what? Rights to a few caves of minerals? Petty boundary disputes? I believe one of the cases on the weekly docket has to do with an Earth witch's familiar, a _badger,_ being coveted. As if a Fire mage would ever desire such a dull and weak familiar. Even with my abilities, it takes days to wade through their tedious squabbles every month." Mycroft sat up straight in his chair and his voice rose. "_This_ is what all of our power has come to, Sherlock. The might of our ancestors fading into nonsense, while the real enemy grows stronger, accumulating power and wealth."

Sherlock stopped pacing and the flames beyond him sparked as he clenched his fist and growled, "_Magnussen._ The Air mages of the East are growing more aggressive under his leadership. But why me?"

"Because the infighting must stop, and alliances must be made. We will set an example in making sacrifices, starting with the Great Families. And the Greatest of all, our own. Mummy wishes it and I agree; it is a classic and workable plan. Set aside your detecting spells for the time being. I'll follow suit next year when I've completed negotiations with all the clans. I sent word to the Earth witches as they have the most to offer currently, and Mother has contacts with their leadership naturally. They've made recommendations as to suitability."

Sherlock gritted his teeth. It was a foul tactic bringing their mother into it; her frail health made it difficult to deny her anything, and that pompous arse knew it.

"You would subject me to virtual slavery for the sake of an alliance?"

"Oh for goddess's sake, don't be so dramatic." Mycroft rolled his eyes. "It's only marriage."

"Easy for you to say." The flames behind Sherlock roared and jumped as his eyes flared with annoyance. "Do I at least learn her name before we're wedded?"

Mycroft smiled tightly and passed a scroll to his brother. He scanned the brief message and sighed.

"They always did prefer common names." Knowing his elder brother watched, Sherlock schooled his expression into blankness. He wouldn't give Mycroft the satisfaction of watching him squirm. He tossed the scroll into the hearth and watched it burn.

"Well, when do I meet this Mistress Hooper?"

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><p>In the forest, near the river that signaled the divide between Earth and Fire territory, the witches walked.<p>

Early morning was the ideal time to gather ingredients for potions, Molly Hooper had found. The herbs worked best when they were dewy and pliant, before the scorching sun had a chance to sap them of their potency. The plants needed for healing potions required careful handling; too much of one item and the cure became the kill. She prided herself on her intricate recipes and the extra effort was worth it.

Her friend Sally was less enthusiastic about rolling out of bed just after dawn to dig through weeds, but she loved exploring the dark wilds of the Hexa Forest, and she'd been itching for a reason to leave the village.

"The hems of my gowns never really get clean," Sally observed. "Not without a Lifting spell, and if you have to resort to that to clean your skirts, seems to me it's not something I'm that interested in doing."

Molly laughed. She couldn't argue with Sally- there was a reason most Earth witches wore shades of green and brown usually. But her friend couldn't be dissuaded from including every shade of the rainbow in her wardrobe. That day she wore a royal blue dress that drew the eyes of every person as the two women hurried from the village.

"The earth is the source, Sally. What's a little dirty laundry? Alright, a lot." Molly shrugged, eyes scanning the woods as they walked. "Ah, there you are," she said to herself, slipping off her shawl and dropping it into her basket. Setting the basket aside, she crawled under a thorny bush, and plucked the bud she spied growing there.

"I'm going to have a swim in the river, Moll. Unless you need me here?"

"No, I'm good. There's loads of 'em under here!" Molly called happily. "Gallroses!"

"Sounds wonderful," Sally said drily. "I can hardly smell them from over here. Remind me to cast a nose-pinching curse on myself next time. Shout if you need me, and cast a Whistle Ring every so often so I know where you are."

"You too."

"Of course. Unless I meet an attractive Fire witch and she sweeps me off my feet, in which case, I'll expect you to send my brother my regrets as I'll be missing tea." Sally winked and skipped away.

Molly giggled as she heard Sally's long steps fade away over the stony hill toward the nearby river. Gallroses did reek like rotting fruit but unfortunately, they were a key ingredient in her favorite healing potion.

She hummed as she worked her way through the bushes, dipping beneath the prickly branches to pull out the yellow flowers. Molly took her time, being in no hurry to get back home. She loved the Hexa Forest with its twisted trunks and weeping willows.

Visiting the forest also gave her the pleasure of spying on the Fire witches who gathered water from the river. She usually saw only quick glimpses before they disappeared back into their dugout homes in the Carven Hills. The Fire people favored houses beneath the earth, her father had explained to her once. The noblest families lived in sprawling underground manors, in great blackened caverns that trapped any threatening invaders.

Molly smiled, wondering if Sally had encountered any Fire wielders yet on her search by the river. She knew Sally was dying to meet the fiercer breed of magic-workers. Her friend wasn't afraid of _anything_. Molly sat up for a moment and contemplated her half-full basket.

_If I hurry, I could join Sally. Maybe even meet some new people. Surely they aren't so different from us. All magic is one, the goddess says. Four faces and one._

But the warnings of the elders flashed through her mind, and of her ashen-faced father pleading with her not to stray too far from home. Lately, too many of her kind had returned scorched and broken after venturing into Fire lands. There'd been no shortage of patients for the healer mages.

She remained rooted to the ground where she knelt until a bright sound cut through her pensiveness.

A mellow tone, like the long note at the end of a song, pierced the air and called for her attention.

Molly paused to cast a response to Sally's Whistle Ring, matching her tone to let her know she was still safe. She grabbed her basket, picked up the skirts of her myrtle dress to step over a muddy patch and moved to another bush.

_Adventures can wait._

She had ingredients to gather, and medicine to make.

The forest was quiet but for the distant sounds of rushing water, and Molly felt at home surrounded by the scent of rich soil, with its energy soaking into her fingers; before long, her baskets overflowed with gallrose buds, and pinkbreath for sleep aids, and rosemary for memory increasing potions. She grabbed a few handfuls of common thyme and basil to share with her neighbor Angelo who was a delightful cook and would appreciate the flavoring herbs.

The cooking herbs grew incredibly thick in that patch, Molly saw. The piles of plants in her baskets grew, as she wandered from bush to bush and tree to tree, gleefully collecting fistfuls of oregano and tarragon. She found herbs she hadn't encountered in years, and the morning melted away. The maples were tall and leafy overhead, protecting her from the sun that had risen high.

Molly estimated it was nearing midday and they should be heading back home. Sally must be tired of swimming by then, surely, though she could spend as much time in lakes as any Water witch.

She trotted up to the crest of the small hill and scanned the stretch of the river, spying Sally sunning herself on the banks in her chemise and underskirt. Molly cast a Whistle Ring, and then jumped and waved, grinning.

She saw Sally's head turn and then she waved back. Sally grabbed her clothes, and set to dressing herself. Satisfied, Molly returned to her own belongings down the hill by the gallrose bushes.

She was kneeling by her baskets and donning her shawl when a prickle of awareness down her spine told her she was no longer alone. Before she could speak, a long dark shadow was looming over her.

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><p>"Explain your presence," a deep voice ordered.<p>

Molly spun around and was met by a swirling ball of fire rolling between two hands. Beyond the swelling flames, the mage's voice spoke again, this time sounding almost…bored?

"If you're not even going to bother denying your theft, this isn't going to be any fun at all." The flaring ball lessened in size and floated to the side, to Molly's right, as the Fire mage stepped forward. His face was obscured in the haze of the flames. She saw only the shape of the man, his dark curls, the fineness of his scarlet overcoat- and his hand cupping a ball of fire.

Her shock wearing off, Molly scrambled to her feet and backed away. "I'm not a thief! I'm just…here. Turn that off!" Her senses coming to her, she drew on the power of the earth beneath her and threw all her might into a murmured casting.

The Whistle Ring, high-pitched and laced with jagged panic notes, ripped through the air.

With a curt gesture, the Fire mage cut it off, blocking the spell. The flames in his hand dimmed with the movement.

"Not a thief. That's odd, because you triggered my detecting spells- you're on my land. Gathering in my gardens." The mage lowered his arms until firelight no longer obscured his face, and Molly saw disdain in his aristocratic face. "Or did you think all these herbs just grew on their own?"

"They _do_ grow wild," Molly insisted, her face flushing. "All of them. I mean this is rather a lot to grow close together…I didn't think." She took a breath and steadied herself. "I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone lived here. I didn't feel any spells."

"Of course not," he replied, smugness creeping into his voice along with a smile. His arms relaxed at his side and the fire was dispelled; only glowing lights remained in his palms. His blue-green eyes warmed with pride as he considered his detecting spells. "I've spent years crafting them. I can even detect the type of magic wandering onto my land. I knew you tasted of Earth before I ever saw you." His eyes darkened as they drifted down her body. "I see that you took the Verda Pass through the Carter Path to walk here…that you stopped for cakes and tea at an inn- but it was very early in the morning, so the cakes were stale, left over from the day before. And I see that you're not a thief, no. So leave your bounty and go."

"Truly?" Molly reached down for her baskets and had a thought. "What if I paid you for some of the gallrose buds? I really do need them, and you have so many. They're not being used…I could offer you some of the finished potion I make-"

The Fire mage's left eyebrow rose during her offer, a spark of amusement in his eye, but the light died as he spotted something beyond her. His chin lifted and his shoulders tensed. He cut off her tentative request.

"I _also _know that your friend playing in our river is hiding rather large secrets from her fellow Earthen kinsmen. Possibly even you."

Molly stared, not sure if she wanted to laugh, ask for more information or run. It was fascinating, watching his face shift as he spoke, but it was unnerving as well. "How do you know that about Sally? Which sort of spell are you using?"

"There are some things beyond magic, green witch," he retorted. His gaze rose above her head. "Sometimes magic is a crutch, and logical evidence far more efficient. Isn't that right, _Sally?_" he called over Molly's head, as his hands uncurled, churning fire overflowing from his fingertips.

Molly spun around gratefully, seeking out her friend, and found her running down the hill. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock as she saw what filled the other witch's hands.

"Duck, Molly!" Sally shouted as she threw her arm back to lob the first of several wild balls of flame at the dark-haired man.

Molly barely had time to close her mouth before she was thrown down, with the heated weight of a man pressing her into the earth.

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><p><strong><em>Stay tuned for chapter 2, soon to come! Thanks for reading. :)<em>**


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